Boosters? Will my kids fit into my Forester-someday?

I have a Subaru Forester 07. I'm going to try to see if I can get three car seats in it, first getting a Radian, then two or 3 if needed. If I'm not able to fit two larger car seats, at what age will I be able to put my oldest in a booster? Aren't boosters much much narrower? How safe are boosters?

I have a 3 yr 3 mos old at 31 lbs, a 11 mth old-14 lbs, and one coming in Sep.

From what I read it seems the Radian 85 isn't worth the extra $, so I'll get the 60, also-any comments on that would be appreciated, also.

Thankyou very much!

The Radian 80 has nicer fabric and infant padding. So if that isn't important to you, then just get the 65 as they will last about the same amount of time. Most kids will not make it past 65lbs int the Radian.

Some boosters are narrower, yes, but you have to deal with buckling it everytime (think scraped up hands from getting your hand caught between carseat and booster). 4 AND 40 lbs is the bare minimum for booster use. We recommend harnessing as long as possible.

The largest problem I can forsee that you're going to meet with your Forester is getting a carseat installed properly in the center. It seems to be quite difficult to do.

I assume your 11 month old will be rearfacing for a long time still. Make sure you can get a RF Radian in your car. Another narrow option for your 11 month old would be the Safety First Uptown or Cosco Scenera.

Nicer fabric and infant padding sound nice, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra $80 or whatever the cost is. Plus, I haven't figured out who will go in the seat, yet. Probably my 11 mth old.

I left my 3 yr old RF until my 11 mth old was born, so over 2 yrs. I hope to leave my 11 mos old RF for as long as I can, but if I can't fit him in RF and FF ends up it saves me from getting a new car, then I'll have to really think about it. The plan is probably for my husband to drive my Forester and me drive his CRV. We've always each planned on transporting them in our cars, but I suppose that might not be an option, anymore. We each have Evenflo comfort touch seats for the 3 yr old and Graco carriers with the base (came with the quatro travelset) (pls forgive me for getting all the words wrong) in our vehicles currently. There's only about 9- 9 1/2" left in the middle of my car and 11" in the middle in his car.

Can I ask why you're thinking Safety First Uptown or Cosco Scenera? Are they just as narrow?

Lastly, when you speak of boosters, are you speaking of boosters in general or backless boosters (I just read another post and learned there was back and backless boosters-I'm new to this).

Thankyou!!!

It is going to be a challenge. As the PP said, the middle seat is the tough one. Check your manual on this. My 06 Legacy manual allows, but recommends against center seat installations. (They do, however, provide a tether anchor for that spot.) But that hump is going to make things difficult.

Start with seeing what fits in the center position around the hump. If you can get a Radian in there, either FF or RF, that will be great. Then work on the outboard positions, where installation is much easier and of course, you have LATCH to help you out. I'd say, stick with harnesses as long as possible for the reasons the PP mentioned. It will be very difficult to buckle a booster in a three-across situation in a Forester. Fortunately Subaru allows the use of its full LATCH system until the child is 60 lbs. That will help too.

Let us know what you find that works!

2 boys and a girl said:

If I'm not able to fit two larger car seats, at what age will I be able to put my oldest in a booster? Aren't boosters much much narrower? How safe are boosters?

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Boosters are very safe when used appropriately for the childs age and size. 5-6 years of age is the minimum and depending on the childs own impulse control/personality, it could be longer. So, you have at least 2 years to go until a booster enters the picture. Also, you want them in a high back booster as long as possible. Especially, if your car doesn't have side airbags.

2 boys and a girl said:

I have a 3 yr 3 mos old at 31 lbs, a 11 mth old-14 lbs, and one coming in Sep.

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Is the 11mo weight a typo? 14lbs or 24lbs? If it's 14, you obviously have quite a bit of RFing time left. I'd do everything possible to keep them RFing until at least two. But, you already know that since you RF'd your oldest for over two years. :thumbsup:

2 boys and a girl said:

From what I read it seems the Radian 85 isn't worth the extra $, so I'll get the 60, also-any comments on that would be appreciated, also.

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The 60 has the same harness height, so unless you anticipate a LARGE weight increase, the 65 will be plenty.

Wow, things aren't looking good for my Subaru. And it only has 17,000 miles, too! We bought it planning on keeping it for 15 years or more. sigh.

I've seen a posting or two talking about the middle seat in both the CRV and the Forester due to the hump. I really don't see much of a hump in my Forester. I'm not sure if they changed it in the 07 or if I'm just not aware of the hump. I will check the manual and see what it says.

Ok, I think I understand, now. Is that the difference with a booster and a regular car seat the fact that a booster is buckled in with the car seatbelt and a regular car seat has the 5-point harness built into it?

Looking at 2+ more years before my son can be in a booster, are they typically the width or more narrow than a Radian? (Can I assume that in a few years it should be safe enough to have two car seats and a booster? Are boosters small enough that I won't get scraped knuckles if I have one booster and two car seats?). At Baby's are us I thought they told me boosters are 7-8" wide.

14 lbs wasn't a typo for my 11 mos old. I have small kids. He was 13 lbs at his 9 mos old visit. Maybe he's 15-16 by now-I'll find out in a mth.

Thankyou for all your patience and help. I'm learning a lot from this forum and appreciate it so much! There are so many accidents in Phoenix and ultimately want to do what will keep my kids safe, even though it's so hard to imagine getting rid of an 07 Subaru with 17k miles on it and a couple scratches. I don't think we'd get much for it at all for a trade-in. Plus, I really like the car-didn't realize we were going to be a family of 5.

2 boys and a girl said:

Ok, I think I understand, now. Is that the difference with a booster and a regular car seat the fact that a booster is buckled in with the car seatbelt and a regular car seat has the 5-point harness built into it?

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Yes - the booster isn't actually "installed," it just positions the seat belt properly to best protect the child.

Looking at 2+ more years before my son can be in a booster, are they typically the width or more narrow than a Radian? (Can I assume that in a few years it should be safe enough to have two car seats and a booster? Are boosters small enough that I won't get scraped knuckles if I have one booster and two car seats?). At Baby's are us I thought they told me boosters are 7-8" wide.

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At Babies R Us they are smoking crack. Boosters are usually much wider than the Radian. Perhaps they thought you were referring the seating area? Even so, 7-8" in the seating area is a very low estimate - I think the FPSV Booster (which is the narrowest) still has a 10" seating area at it's narrowest (it's a width-adjustable booster, which is not a typical feature on boosters.) Ooo, maybe they meant the depth, that would make more sense, at least.

In any case, buckling a booster with 3-across is usually an inconvenience at the very least, and a right pain the rear at the worst.

I think two Radians in the outboard positions might be your best bet, since it seems to be the center that is the issue in your vehicle. With two Radians outboard, you've got the best chance of getting some other carseat in the center.

Oh, I just saw you had a question that didn't get answered - generally when we refer to boosters we mean highback boosters. Backless boosters are for kids who have outgrown highback boosters, but still don't fit correctly in just the seat belt, and you've got quite a few years until you start worrying about that. Also, backless boosters are generally about the same width as highback boosters.

2 boys and a girl said:

I've seen a posting or two talking about the middle seat in both the CRV and the Forester due to the hump. I really don't see much of a hump in my Forester. I'm not sure if they changed it in the 07 or if I'm just not aware of the hump. I will check the manual and see what it says.

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If you don't have a hump, then that will help a *lot.* I had a 99 Forester that did not, but I've heard that newer ones do. And Outbacks and Legacies do. Do you have a carseat installed in the center now?

Another option to consider for the center position (assuming there's a top tether anchor there) is the Safeguard Go. It may not be that comfortable with two carseats next to it, but I don't think it would take up very much space. But it would only work for your oldest child.

Defrost, Thankyou so much for answering all of my questions! From what I've read, Radians are 13-14" wide, correct? So, would the FPSV (fischer price somthing?) booster be an even better option for the toddler when he can safely fit into it?

Going along with that question thankyou very much twokidstwodogs for your answer to my question, also. I looked up the Safeguard Go. It's 17.02". Do you think that might fit in the Subaru, even though it's wider than the Radians? Is the Radian specifically a hard install in the middle seat or any car seat? I read on this forum somewhere not to assume a bigger car seat won't fit better than a smaller carseat-not sure if that's partially what you're thinking or if it's just plain hard to get a Radian in the middle seat.

I've got a pounding headache, so I'll check into the top tether in a bit. Not sure I quite know what to look for, but I think it's just a metal loop/hook at the top/back of the seat.

Thankyou so much. It's great to narrow down options and have some hope, although I didn't get tons from the Forester search I did. I don't think I know of anyone who's fit 3 car seats in a Forester!

Oh, and Defrost, good to know they smoke crack at Babys R Us.
I'm the tend to research in consumer reports or resources like that, bring the book into the stores, find the stores don't have exactly what consumer reports recommends and end up going with what the salesperson recommends. It's great to be speaking to the pros here!

Oh, yah. I got distracted. What I also meant to say with Baby's R Us is that seems to be the store that has the most selection (and knowledge?/assistance?) in the Phoenix area. One person (who ditched her Forester) on these forums was saying how she went to a huge carseat store that even had techs working there to help install! That's be so wonderful!!! Does anyone know how I can find out if there's something like that here, or a better place to buy seats here? The closest place on Radian's site that even sells Radians is a used kid's store. I wasn't even going to bother checking with them.

You'd think in a big city there's be something here...

I would NOT recommend trusting anything you're told at BRU or allowing them to show you how to install the seats. They are notorious for VERY bad advice. :twocents:

2 boys and a girl said:

I've got a pounding headache, so I'll check into the top tether in a bit. Not sure I quite know what to look for, but I think it's just a metal loop/hook at the top/back of the seat.

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My '01 Forester has 3 top tether anchors in the ceiling at the back of the car. Also, my manual says you must remove the headrest when you use the top tether. Check your manual for that, in case it changed for your model year Forester.

2 boys and a girl said:

Defrost, Thankyou so much for answering all of my questions! From what I've read, Radians are 13-14" wide, correct? So, would the FPSV (fischer price somthing?) booster be an even better option for the toddler when he can safely fit into it?

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Possibly - the problem is, the FPSV Booster has been discontinued. It's still available online, but by the time your oldest is ready for a booster, it will likely be completely unavailable. However, we may have even better options by that point, so I wouldn't worry too much about that right now.

I've been scrolling through old posts about the Forester and carseats, and it's not looking very promising. It looks like you can get the Radian installed outboard using LATCH, but the middle position is so hard to install carseats that even with narrow Radians outboard, you still might not end up being able to fit a third carseat of any type in there.

I think your best bet is going to be using your CRV whenever you need to transport all three kiddos at once, and possibly consider something like the Ride Safer Travel Vest for occasional use by your oldest in the center when you have no choice but to transport all three of them in the Forester.

2 boys and a girl said:

Nicer fabric and infant padding sound nice, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra $80 or whatever the cost is. Plus, I haven't figured out who will go in the seat, yet. Probably my 11 mth old.

I left my 3 yr old RF until my 11 mth old was born, so over 2 yrs. I hope to leave my 11 mos old RF for as long as I can, but if I can't fit him in RF and FF ends up it saves me from getting a new car, then I'll have to really think about it. The plan is probably for my husband to drive my Forester and me drive his CRV. We've always each planned on transporting them in our cars, but I suppose that might not be an option, anymore. We each have Evenflo comfort touch seats for the 3 yr old and Graco carriers with the base (came with the quatro travelset) (pls forgive me for getting all the words wrong) in our vehicles currently. There's only about 9- 9 1/2" left in the middle of my car and 11" in the middle in his car.

Can I ask why you're thinking Safety First Uptown or Cosco Scenera? Are they just as narrow?

Lastly, when you speak of boosters, are you speaking of boosters in general or backless boosters (I just read another post and learned there was back and backless boosters-I'm new to this).

Thankyou!!!

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i'm a bit concerned with this comment, only because you say your 11 month old is only 14 lbs, and so i highly doubt within a year he/she will be at 20 lbs, and that AND 1 yr is the bare minimum that you can turn them forward facing

skaterbabscpst,
How disappointing and irronic-a large Baby Store is notorious for bad advice. Good to know. Thanks for the info!

Pastrygirl,
I just read my manual and it says the same-3 tethers-top back and take head rest off.

Here's some important info that the manual said that might give some of you carseat pros an idea for helping, although, it doesn't sound so good. Per my manual:
"Installing a child restraint system is not recommended, although the A/ELR seatbilt and an upper anchorage (tether anchorage) are provided in this position. Some types of child restraints might not be able to be secured firmly due to projection of the seat cushion. In this seating position, you should use only a child restraint system that has a bottom base that fits snugly against the contours of the seat cushion and can be securely retained using the seatbelt."
I imagine that's only found out by trial and error? (I'd stick a sweating overwelmed face right here if they had such a one!)

Defrost, It's probably a good idea to have a vest around, anyway. I was thinking about the vest initially. We do plan on using the CRV for 3 car seats, but I wanted to see if there was still hope for the Forester, at least in the future. If there's really no hope in the future, I won't end up hanging on to it as long, probably. The reason I started this thread was to see if I had hope for the future at booster-seat time-if it was only for a couple of years, that'd be fine. It's sounding difficult to fit 3 kids of any size/age in a Forester until they're out of carseat. sigh. Like you said, though, maybe at that time they'll have other alternatives. That'll be something to look forward to. Heck, with the gas prices right now, I imagine smaller cars will start selling more and maybe the carseats will get smaller in size?

my2kidsSafe, Thankyou for the reminder and clarification. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. Basically, my husband and I are planning on switching cars so that I can use the CRV for 3 car seats and then we were to trade back in a couple of years when I thought (Babys R Us) the car seats would be smaller (boosters) and we'd be able to fit 3 in my Subaru. My husband hates the idea of switching cars and I'm not used to driving the CRV-it's not a huge car, I'll have to get used to it. I'd still like to see if there's anyway we could avoid switching, but yes, you're right, not at the risk of my kids/my 11 mos old.

This forum is very helpful and I still have hope left we'll figure something out in the longrun for the Forester-I wrote down and printed any ideas and input and will try everything. Then, if all fails, I did enough to process this and know we need to buy a new car. Or, maybe, just maybe DH will fall in love with the Forester!

Thankyou so very much, again! REally, this forum is amazing.